FROM   THE  LIBRARY  OF 
REV.   LOUIS    FITZGERALD    BENSON.   D.  D. 


BEQUEATHED    BY    HIM   TO 

THE   LIBRARY   OF 

PRINCETON  THEOLOGICAL  SEMINARY 


S:d 


PAPERS  READ 


BEFORE  THE 


FEBRUARY   5,   lQO©. 


"  jttjistorp  tjerself,  as  seen  in  i)tt  oton  tootttsfjop." 


EPHRATA  HYMNS  AND  HYMN  BOOKS. 

AN  OLD  RECEIPT  BOOK. 
MINUTES  OF   FEBRUARY  MEETING. 


VOL.  XIII.    NO.  2. 


LANCASTER,  PA. 

Reprinted  from  The  New  Eba. 
1909. 


JiS*  of  pi?lj^ 

DEC  10  1032 

PAPERS  READ 


BEFORE   THE 


LANCASTER  COUNTY  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 


FEBRUARY   5,   1909. 


#Hstorg  ijetself,  as  seen  in  t)ec  oton  toorfesfjop." 


EPHRATA  HYMNS  AND  HYMN  BOOKS. 

AN  OLD  RECEIPT  BOOK. 
MINUTES   OF   FEBRUARY   MEETING. 


VOL.  XIII.     NO.  2. 


LANCASTER,  PA. 

Reprinted  from  The  New  Era. 

1909. 


Ephrata  Hymns  and  Hymn  Books    -         -         -         -         -     21 
By  Joseph  Henry  Dubbs,  D.D.,  LL.D. 

An  Old  Receipt  Book     -------     38 

By  Miss  Lottie  L.  Bausman 

Minutes  of  February  Meeting  ------     45 


(  19 


Ephrata  Hymns  and  Hymn- 
Books. 


The  early  history  of  Ephrata  in  this 
county  has  been  so  frequently  discuss- 
ed that  to  present  an  additional  paper 
on  the  same  general  subject  may  ap- 
pear like  "carrying  coals  to  New- 
castle." I  can  well  remember  the 
time  when  the  theme  was  regarded  as 
peculiarly  mysterious  and  fascinating. 
Many  obscurities  have,  however,  been 
removed  by  the  research  of  eminent 
antiquarians,  and  by  the  publication  of 
Dr.  Hark's  translation  of  the  "Chro- 
nicon  Ephratense;"  so  that,  I  think 
it  would  now  be  possible  to  compose 
a  connected  history  of  the  "Order  of 
the  Solitary,"  especially  if  the  author 
had  sufficient  courage  and  judgment 
to  ignore  the  wild  legends  and  unreli- 
able traditions  which  are  still  occa- 
sionally repeated.  On  this  occasion  I 
shall  not  attempt  a  task  which  has 
been  done  so  well  by  others,  but  will 
limit  my  observations  to  a  small  part 
of  the  literary  work  of  a  peculiar 
i  21  ) 


I  22) 

people.  I  shall  not  venture  to  tell  a 
"thrice  told  tale,"  though  it  may  be 
found  desirable  to  present  an  intro- 
ductory account  of  the  origin  and 
early  history  of  a  strange  religious 
and  social  organization.  From  an  ar 
tide,  entitled  "Early  German  Hynino- 
logy  of  Pennsylvania,"  which  I  con- 
tributed to  the  Reformed  Quarterly 
Review  in  1882, 1  shall  take  the  liberty 
of  quoting  freely. 

A  few  words  of  introduction  may  be 
necessary  to  the  comprehension  of  the 
peculiarities  of  the  German  "Separa- 
tists" who,  at  the  invitation  of  \Villiam 
Penn,  found  a  refuge  in  Pennsylvania. 
When  the  treaty  of  Westphalia  in  1648 
concluded  the  terrible  Thirty  Years 
war,  liberty  of  conscience  was  allowed 
to  the  three  great  religious  parties, 
Catholics,  Lutherans,  and  Reformed, 
and  a  kind  of  protection  was  promised 
to  the  Jews,  All  other  forms  of  reli- 
gion were  condemned  under  the 
general  name  of  Anabaptists;  and  it 
was  made  the  duty  of  the  various 
governments  to  prevent  "the  sects" 
from  holding  religious  assemblies. 
In  the  days  of  the  Reformation  there 
had  been  certain  socialistic  bodies, 
known  as  Anabaptists,  which  waged 
war  against  the  princes,  and  had  Anal- 
ly been  almost  exterminated  with  fire 
and  sword.  The  governments  of  Ger- 
many could  never  forget  the  excesses 
of  Thomas  Miinzer  and  John  of  Ley- 
den,  and  tbe  mild  communities  thai 
succeeded  them  were  most  unjustly 
persecuted  under  the  pretext  that  they 
too  were  Anabaptists.  In  all  the  his- 
tory of  Europe  there  is  nothing  more 
shameful  than  the  treatment  that 
was  accorded  to  the  Mennonites, 
Schwenkfelders  and  other  "separa- 
tist" bodies.  Official  protection  was 
accorded  to  the  Mennonites  in  only 
four  small  provinces-Holstein,  Cleves, 
Moers  (including  Crefeld)  and  Wied — 


(23) 

but  they  were  generally  tolerated  in 
the  Free  Cities,  and  in  Holland  they 
secured  so  great  a  degree  of  liberty 
that  they  became  a  wealthy  and  in- 
telligent body. 

There  is  probably  no  one  in  these 
days  who  would  attempt  to  excuse  the 
attitude  of  the  German  princes  in  those 
depressing  times;  but  it  should  not 
be  forgotten  that  the  government  of 
church  and  state  was  alike  harsh,  not 
to  say  merciless.  All  churches — 
Catholic  and  Protestant — were  op- 
pressed when  the  representatives  of 
a  rival  organization  happened  to  be  in 
power. 

In  the  latter  part  of  the  seventeenth 
century,  and  the  beginning  of  the 
eighteenth,  occurred  a  great  religious 
awakening,  which  for  a  time  added 
greatly  to  the  prevailing  confusion.  It 
was  known  by  the  general  name  of 
Pietism,  though  it  included  many 
parties  which  differed  greatly  from 
each  other  in  doctrine  and  purpose. 
Koch  in  his  "Kirchenlied"  recognizes 
three  great  parties  among  the  Pietists: 
1.  The  Mystics.  2.  The  Pietists 
Proper,  and  3,  The  Moravians.  The 
pioneer  of  the  whole  Pietist  movement 
was  Jean  de  Labadie  (1610-1674),  a 
Reformed  minister  who  had  in  early 
life  been  a  Roman  Catholic  priest;  a 
man  of  wonderful  eloquence,  but  in- 
clined to  fanaticism.  He  finally  be- 
came a  thorough  mystic,  and  his  fol- 
lowers, who  were  called  Labadists, 
were  probably  the  first  to  introduce 
Protestant  monasticism  into  America. 
The  most  eminent  exponent  of  Piet- 
ism, properly  so  called,  was  Philip 
Jacob  Spener  (1635-1705),  of  the 
Lutheran  Church.  He  was  devout  and 
conservative,  and  the  revival  of 
genuine  Christian  life  in  the  establish- 
ed churches  was  mainly  due  to  his 
efforts.  The  Pietists  in  the  proper 
sense    remained   attached   to   the   old 


(  24) 

churches,  though  in  many  instances 
they  formed  peculiar  associations  for 
the  cultivation  of  the  religious  life. 
The  Mystics  on  the  other  hand  were 
indifferent,  if  not  hostile,  to  the 
churches  and  among  themselves 
cultivated  a  kind  of  philosophy 
which  often  led  to  inexcusable  ex- 
cesses. They  studied  the  writings  of 
Jacob  Boehme  (or  Behmen)  who  has 
been  called  "the  inspired  shoemaker 
of  Gorlitz,"  and  cultivated  anew  such 
doubtfu*  sciences  as  alchemy  and  nec- 
cromancy.  It  was  in  this  mystical 
spirit  that  many  early  pioneers  came 
to  America,  of  whom  Whittier  tells 
us    that    they    spent    their    time    in 

"Reading   the    books    of    Daniel    and    of 

John, 
And      Behmen's        'Morning        Redness,' 

through    the    stone 
Of    wisdom,    vouchsafed    to    their    (\.s 

alone." 

In  external  matters,  such  as  dress 
and  social  habits,  the  mystics  closely 
approached  the  earlier  socialist  organi- 
zations to  which  we  have  referred,  and 
they  generally  acquiesced  in  the 
"peace  doctrines"  which  the  latter  had 
so  earnestly  advocated.  It  is  hardly 
necessary  to  add  that  they  became  div- 
ided into  many  sects,  of  which  the 
majority  have  passed  away,  though  a 
few  of  the  more  conservative  still 
exist  and  in  their  own  way  are  doing 
much  good. 

One  of  the  most  remarkable  charac- 
teristics of  this  mystical  movement 
was  the  revival  of  monasticism  among 
Protestants  and  the  cultivation  of  a 
peculiar  kind  of  Christian  socialism. 
The  first  among  Protestants  to  found 
a  mystical  monastic  brotherhood  in 
Germany,  was  Johann  Friederich  Rock 
(1687-1749),  the  leader  of  a  sect  called 
"The  Inspired,"  who  were  at  one  time 
quite  numerous  in  Pennsylvania,  but 
have  long  been  extinct.     They  derived 


(25) 

much  of  their  spirit  from  the  "Proph- 
ets of  the  Cevennes,"  a  party  which 
appeared  in  the  Reformed  church  of 
France  in  the  days  of  persecution. 
They  were  very  enthusiastic  and  in 
their  services  were  frequently  attack- 
ed by  viole.it  convulsions.  Several  of 
their  leaders — Gleim,  Gruber  and  Mac- 
kinet — came  to  America  and  lived  in 
Germantown.  In  Germany,  after 
Rock's  death,  they  maintained  a  feeble 
existence;  but  about  1853,  under  the 
leadership  of  Metz  and  Weber,  they 
emigrated  to  America  and  founded 
"Ebenezer,"  near  Buffalo,  N.  Y.,  and 
the  Amana  society  in  Iowa. 

The  Labadists  at  an  early  period 
founded  monastic  institutions  on  Long 
Island,  on  the  Wissahickon  near  Phila- 
delphia, and  at  Bohemia  Manor,  in 
Maryland,  all  in  hope  of  living  in  re- 
tirement from  the  world  and  thus  be- 
coming prepared  for  the  speedy  com- 
ing of  the  Lord.  The  history  of  these 
brotherhoods  is  interesting,  but  it  is 
not  properly  included  in  our  present 
theme.  We  have  merely  mentioned 
them  to  show  how  the  way  was  pre- 
pared for  the  establishment  of  the 
Order  of  the  Solitary  at  Ephrata. 

Conrad  Beissel,  the  founder  of  that 
peculiar  brotherhood,  was  in  many  re- 
spects an  interesting  personage.  His 
biography  was  first  composed  by  his 
associates  for  the  "Chronicon  Ephra- 
tense,"  and  has  been  often  rewritten, 
so  that  it  is  not  necessary  to  enlarge 
upon  it.  It  may  be  remembered  that 
he  was  born  at  Eberbach  in  the  Pala- 
tinate in  1690,  and  died  at  Ephrata  in 
1768.  In  his  early  life  there  was  little 
to  attract  the  attention  of  the  world. 
He  was  the  youngest  son  of  a  drunken 
baker,  and  his  mother  died  when  he 
was  eight  years  old,  so  that  in  his 
youth  he  had  a  very  hard  time.  The 
"Chronicon,"  however,  tells  us  that  the 


(26) 

Spirit  thus  indicated  that  he  was  to  be 
a  priest  after  the  order  of  Melchise- 
dek,  who  was  not  dependent  for  his 
dignities  on  his  father  and  mother. 
He  received  very  little  formal  instruc- 
tion, but,  according  to  the  only  account 
which  we  possess,  he  was  wonderfully 
precocious,  acquiring  all  the  learning 


CONRAD    BEISSEL. 

which  he  desired  by  a  kind  of  intui- 
tion without  conscious  effort.  Such 
talents,  it  must  be  confessed,  would  be 
very  desirable,  especially  for  those  of 
us  who  had  to  work  hard  for  every 
fragment  of  knowledge  which  we  have 
been  able  to  collect.  He  acquired  a 
good  deal  of  general  information, 
became  a  fluent  writer,  and  was  a  nat- 
ural musician.  I  do  not  doubt  that 
there  was  in  him  a  strain  of  genius; 
but  it  might  have  been  said  of  him,  as 
the  learned  Scaliger  said  of  another: 
"He  was  in  some  respects  wiser  than 
an  ordinary  man  and  in  others  less  in- 
telligent than  a  boy."    He  himself  said 


(27) 

in  later  years  that  he  had  never 
known  a  time  when  he  was  not  fully 
convinced  that  he  had  been  chosen  by 
Providence  for  a  grand  and  glorious 
mission. 

Beissel  became  a  baker,  and  for 
some  years  worked  at  his  trade. 
Even  in  his  daily  work,  said  his  dis- 
ciples, there  was  something  miracu- 
lous, so  that  all  his  customers  in- 
sisted on  receiving  no  other  bread 
than  that  which  he  had  kneaded. 
His  employer's  wife,  however,  did  not 
like  him,  and  on  one  occasion,  when 
she  had  scolded  him,  he  retorted  by 
calling  her  "Jezebel;"  whereupon  she 
drove  him  out  of  the  house.  Then, 
we  are  naively  informed,  he  was  con- 
vinced of  the  evils  of  the  married 
state,  and  became  a  life-long  advocate 
of  celibacy.  He  read  a  great  deal  of 
mystical  theology,  and  became  an 
active  opponent  of  the  established 
church.  A  foolish  law  required  of 
each  citizen  a  certificate  of  church 
attendance;  and  the  local  pastor 
offered  him  such  a  certificate  if  he 
would  agree  to  walk  through  the 
parish  church  once  a  year  on  a  week- 
day, but  he  indignantly  refused.  He 
was  determined  to  be  a  martyr  at  all 
hazards;  so  he  took  his  dismissal  and 
put  himself  under  the  care  of  Rock 
and  his  Inspirationists.  Here,  no 
doubt,  he  acquired  many  of  the  pecu- 
liarities which  characterized  his  work 
in  later  years.  He  also  came  into 
contact  with  the  Baptists  of  Schwarz- 
enau,  and  for  some  time  he  felt 
strongly   drawn   to   that   organization. 

When  Beissel  emigrated  to  Amer- 
ica, in  1720,  it  was  mainly  for  the 
purpose  of  living  the  life  of  a  her- 
mit somewhere  in  the  wilderness. 
After  lingering  a  year  in  Germantown 
he  removed  to  Conestoga,  where  for 
some  time  he  lived  in  comparative  re- 


(28) 

tirement.  The  little  congregation 
which  he  established  was  recognized 
by  the  German  Baptists  (Bunkers), 
and  he  was  himself  baptized;  but  the 
differences  between  the  two  organi- 
zations— especially  with  regard  to  the 
celebration  of  the  Sabbath — were  too 
decided  to  render  a  permanent  union 
possible.  Left  to  themselves,  Beissel 
and  his  followers  developed  peculi- 
arities which  separated  them  from  all 
other  denominations  of  Christians. 

In  the  organization  of  the  brother- 
hood we  behold  an  exact  analogy  to 
the  early  history  of  oriental  monasti- 
cism.  The  leader  was  at  first  a  her- 
mit; then  a  company  of  his  admirers 
gathered  around  him,  in  order  fhaf. 
they  might  enjoy  the  benefits  of  his 
constant  presence;  and  finally  when 
the  number  became  large,  rules  of 
government  were  adopted  by  which 
they  became  almost  unconsciously 
transformed  into  a  monastic  order. 

The  most  marvellous  feature  of  the 
Ephrata  brotherhood  was  the  extra- 
ordinary influence  of  its  founder. 
Men  like  the  Eckerleins.  Conrad 
Weiser  and  Peter  Miller,  who  were 
intellectually  his  superiors,  bowed  to 
bis  spiritual  power.  At  the  present 
day  it  might  be  said  by  some  people 
that  he  possessed  wonderful  hypnotic 
powers. 

I  shall  not  attempt  to  tell  the  story 
of  the  industrial  development  of  the 
institutions  at  Ephrata.  Their  vari- 
ous departments  were  conducted  with 
energy  and  success;  but  of  them  all 
there  was  none  that  possessed  so 
high  a  degree  of  interest  for  subse- 
(|iu  nt  generations  as  the  work  of 
printing  and  publication.  At  their 
besl  estate  the  monks  conducted 
their  literary  enterprises  without  ex- 
trinsic aid.  They  were  not  only 
authors     and      printers,     but      paper- 


(29) 

makers,  book-binders  and  perhaps 
type-founders.  Surely,  they  never 
dreamed  that  the  issues  of  their 
press  would  in  time  be  esteemed  as 
among  the  rarest  and  most  valuable 
of  American  publications. 

The  great  majority  of  Ephrata 
books,  we  are  well  aware,  were  in 
prose,  and  among  these  were  some 
that  were  of  peculiar  interest.  The 
"Martyr  Book"  was  by  far  the  largest 
American  publication  during  the  col- 
onial period.  On  this  occasion  we 
shall  speak  only  of  poetic  composi- 
tions, because  from  these  we  may 
derive  the  best  conception  of  the 
thought  and  feeling  of  the  authors. 
We  shall,  however,  not  limit  our- 
selves to  books  printed  in  Ephrata, 
but  may  have  something  to  say  con 
cerning  work  that  was  executed  else- 
where by  order  of  the  brethren,  or 
which  may  at  least  be  regarded  as  ex- 
pressive of  their  spirit.  Even  as  it  is, 
the  field  is  so  extensive  that  we  may 
not  be  able  to  mention  all  of  these 
peculiar  works.  I  once  asked  the 
late  Dr.  Seidensticker:  "Why  did  the 
Ephrata  brethren  publish  so  many 
different  hymn-books?"  "My  dear 
boy,"  he  replied,  "don't  you  think 
they  wanted  to  sing?" 

That  the  Brethren  possessed  re- 
markable rhythmical  and  musical  tal 
ents  is  not  to  be  doubted.  It  seems 
as  if  they  must  have  been  able  to 
compose  poetry  as  readily  as  other 
people  can  write  prose.  The  sub- 
stance of  their  compositions  is,  01 
course, mystical  in  the  highest  degree 
— they  fairly  revel  in  the  imagery  of 
the  Song  of  Solomon.  They  are  fond 
of  personifying  divine  attributes  and 
of  according  them  supreme  honor. 
Thus,  for  instance,  there  are  hymns 
addressed  to  Sophia,  or  Sophie,  a  per- 
sonification   of    the   Wisdom    of    the 


(30  ) 

Book  of  Proverbs,  who  is  represented 
as  a  personage  of  extraordinary  grace 
and  beauty,  with  whom  the  poet  Ifi 
violently  enamored.  It  seems  curious 
to  read: 

"Fairest  Sophie,  may  the  longings 
That   within   my   bosom   rise, 

May  a  heart  that  lov§s  thee  dearly, 
Win    me    favor    in    thine    eyes." 

Indeed,  many  of  these  devout  com- 
positions are  so  "realistic"  that  in 
these  days  it  might  require  some  bold- 
ness to  translate  them. 

As  might  be  expected,  the  Ephrata 
hymns  are  full  of  anticipation  of  the 
speedy  coming  of  the  Lord.  The  fol- 
lowing rough  translation  of  the  open- 
ing verses  of  one  of  the  best  may  give 
an  idea  of  their  general  character: 

"Awakened    by    the    midnight    cry, 
The   virgins   know  the   morn   is   nigh, 
For  now  the  watchman's  call  they  hear 
That    will    not   cease   till   day   appear. 
No  more  shall  slumber  close  their  eyes. 
The    bridegroom    comes!    The    sun    will 
rise. 

The  splendor  of  their  garments  bright 
Scatters  the  darkest  shades  of  night; 
The  lamps  now  burning  in  their  hand 
Sen, i  forth  their  light  to  every  land; 
That  men  may  see.  with  one  accord, 
How   ransomed   saints  await  the  Lord." 

As  will  be  observed,  the  Ephrata 
Hymns  are  not  of  the  highest  order. 
A  student  of  hymnology  would  notice 
that  they  are  mostly  composed  in  tht 
style  of  Angelus  Silesius,  a  mystical 
German  poet  of  the  seventeenth  cen- 
tury. There  are  said  to  be  about 
seven  hundred  and  fifty  of  them,  of 
which  about  two-thirds  were  written 
by  Conrad  Beissel.  The  others  were 
composed  by  Peter  Miller,  Christina 
Hoehn,  and  others  of  the  brothers 
and  sisters. 

At  first  the  Ephrata  hymns  wert 
circulated  in  manuscript,  and  many 
entire  volumes  were  written,  h  usic 
books  were  also  prepared  in  the  same 
way,   and   these   are   etill   greatly   ad- 


(31  ) 

mired.  It  must,  however,  soon  have 
become  evident  that  the  wants  of  tne 
Brotherhood  could  not  thus  be  perma- 
nently supplied,  and  the  leaders  there- 
fore began  to  look  about  for  a  pub- 
lisher. This  must  have  been  a  mat- 
ter of  profound  consideration,  for  in 
those  day~  no  German  press  nad  been 
established  in  America. 

The  Ephrata  publications  are  not 
all  Ephrata  imprints  in  the  modern 
sense  of  the  word.  Not  to  include 
those  issued  by  private  parties  after 
the  brotherhood  had  ceased  its  labors, 
they  may  be  regarded  as  consisting 
of  thrc „  classes.  The  first  of  these 
includes  three  hymn-books  printed  in 
Roman  characters  by  Benjamin 
Franklin.  The  titles  of  these  books 
were  long,  and  at  times  rhyming  or 
alliterative,  so  that  we  can  only  give 
enough  of  the  title  to  secure  the  rec- 
ognition of  the  book.  The  oldest  is 
dated  1730,  and  is  entitled  "Goetliche 
Liebes  und  Lobes  Gethoene,"  or,  in 
English,  "Divine  Melodies  of  Love 
and  Praise."  This  may  have  been  a 
kind  of  trial  performance,  mainly  in- 
tended to  show  that  the  work  could 
be  done.  Two  years  later,  in  1732, 
appeared  the  "Vorspiel  der  Neuen 
Welt,"  that  is,  "Overture  of  the  New 
World,"  a  book  of  considerable  size 
which  was  a  real  credit  to  its  pub- 
lisher. Finally,  in  1736,  was  printed 
"Jacob's  Kampf  und  Ritterplatz,"  that 
is,  "Jacob's  Scene  of  Convict  and 
Knighthood,"  which  may  perhaps  be 
regarded  as  a  kind  of  appendix  to  the 
preceding  publications.  A  copy  of 
the  "Vorspiel,"  once  the  property  of 
Conrad  Weiser,  contains  about  three 
hundred  pages  of  manuscript  hymns, 
bound  up  in  the  same  volume. 

The  most  remarkable  thing  about 
these  books  is  the  fact  that  Franklin 
should  have  undertaken  their  publi- 
cation.     We    have    an    account   of  a 


(  32  1 

visit  of  "the  long-bearded  men"  to 
the  Philadelphia  printer;  but  the  fact 
that  he  became  their  publisher  is  not 
the  least  proof  of  his  courage.  He 
had  no  knowledge  of  the  German  lan- 
guage, and  no  sympathy  for  the  religi- 
ous views  of  his  employers;  but  these 
fa?ts  merely  urged  him  to  unusual  ef- 
forts. German  compositors  might  bt 
secured;  but  there  was  not  a  singlt 
font  of  German  type  in  America,  so 
the  book  had  to  be  printed  in  the  or- 
dinary type  of  the  English  press, 
remedying  occasional  imperfections 
by  the  skillful  use  of  the  pen.  It  is 
truly  wonderful  that  the  work  should 
have  been  done  so  well,  and  its  sue 
cessful  accomplishment  was  really  a 
greater  credit  to  Franklin  than  many 
events  in  his  life  which  have  been 
more  generally  praised. 

However  greatly  the  "Brethren" 
may  have  admired  Franklin's  typog- 
raphy, I  do  not  think  they  were  fully 
satisfied  with  his  book.  Xo  German 
likes  to  see  his  native  language 
printed  in  the  characters  of  a  foreign 
tongue.  Hence,  when  it  became 
known  that  Christopher  Sower  of 
Germantown  had  imported  a  press 
and  a  font  of  type,  they  did  not  hesi- 
tate to  make  arrangements  for  the 
publication  of  another  hymn-book. 

This  volume,  which  was  printed  in 
1739,  was  entitled  "  Zionitischer 
Weyrauch's  Huegel  oder  Myrrhen 
Berg,"  that  is,  "Zion's  Hill  of  Incense 
or  Mountain  of  Myrrh."  As  the  first 
issue  from  Saur's  press,  and  the  ear- 
liest book  printed  in  America  with 
German  types,  it  has  a  certain  inter- 
est apart  from  its  contents.  The 
latter  are,  however,  as  curious  as 
any  others  of  the  series.  It  is  a  well 
printed  12mo.  of  792  pages,  not  in- 
cluding the  preface  and  index,  and 
contains  654  hymns,  besides  an  ap- 
pendix, entitled  "The  Rod  of  Aaron," 


33 


with  37  hymns.  It  is  divided  into  33 
sections,  of  which  a  few  are  entitled 
as  follows:  1.  "Aurora  or  Beginning 
of  the  Light  of  God."  2.  "The  Clear- 
ness of  the  Light."  3.  "The  Gates  of 
the  Abyss  Opened."  4.  "Foretaste  of 
Paradise."  5.  "The  Holy  Sabbath 
and  its  Profound  Peace."  6.  "Love 
and  Spiritual  Stillness."  7.  "The 
Virgin's  Betrothal  in  the  New  Cove- 
nant, confirmed  by  the  Water  of  Bap- 
tism." 8.  "The  Excellence  of  Celi- 
bacy, and  what  it  means  to  become 
one  with  Christ  in  Spirit."  In  this 
way  the  sections  run  to  the  end  or 
the  volume.  The  book  is  dedicated  to 
"all  the  solitary  turtle  doves  that 
coo  in  the  wilderness;"  and  the  tur- 
tle-doves of  Ephrata  certainly  kept  up 
a  billing  and  cooing  that  made  the 
forests  ring. 

Unfortunately,  the  intimate  rela- 
tions of  Beissel  and  Saur  were  not  oi 
long  duration.  The  story  of  their  dis- 
agreement has  often  been  told,  ana 
we  have  room  for  only  a  few  par- 
ticulars which  now  appear  almost 
comical.  In  one  of  Beissel's  hymns 
appeared  a  stanza  which  ran  some- 
thing like  this: 

"Behold,   behold     the  man! 

Behold  him,   if  you   can! 

He  is  exalted  by  God's  word; 

And    he,    indeed,    is    Christ    the    Lord." 

At  the  suggestion  of  the  compositor 
Saur  wrote  to  the  author,  inruirinfe 
whether  he  regarded  himself  as  the 
Christ  whom  the  people  were  to  be- 
hold. In  his  reply  Beissel  did  not 
directly  answer  the  question,  but  inti- 
mated very  plainly  that  Saur  was  a 
fool.  This  language  did  not  please 
Saur,  who  published  a  pamphlet  in 
which  he  said  among  other  things 
that  the  name  of  Conrad  Beissel  con- 
tained the  mystical  numbers  666,  rep- 
resenting the  beast  mentioned  in  the 
Apocalypse — hinting   that   Beissel  was 


(34) 

himself  the  great  enemy  of  mankind. 
This  controversy  was  subsequently 
smoothed  over;  but  it  was  one  of  the 
reasons  why  the  brotherhood  at  Eph- 
rata  secured  a  press  of  its  own  and 
soon  afterwards  began  the  work  of 
publication. 

The  "Weyrauch's  Huegel"  is  really 
the  only  book  of  this  series  which 
properly  may  be  placed  in  the  second 
class,  as  it  was  published  by  direction 
of  the  brotherhood.  Saur,  howevei. 
published  a  number  of  hymn-books 
which  were  appreciated  by  various 
sects.  Among  these  the  most  impor- 
tant was  "Der  Ausbund"  (The  Para- 
gon), printed  in  1742.  It  was  origin 
ally  a  Mennonite  collection  of  verses 
composed  in  Europe  in  the  days  of 
persecution.  These  poems  were 
roughly  constructed,  as  might  have 
been  expected,  but  they  told  their 
tale  of  suffering  with  a  degree  of  sim- 
ple fervor  that  could  not  fail  to 
awaken  responsive  sympathy.  To 
every  hymn  the  name  of  some  popu- 
lar tune  is  added,  which  produces  an 
effect  that  is  somewhat  incongruous. 
Thus  one  of  the  most  solemn  hymns 
is  said  to  be  sung  to  the  tune  of 
"There  went  a  maiden  with  a  jug."  It 
has  been  suggested  that  secular  tunes 
were  employed  to  mislead  enemies 
who  might  chance  to  hear  the  wor- 
shippers at  their  devotions.  There  Is 
little  condemnation  of  persecutors, 
but  occasionally  we  find  a  burst  of 
righteous  indignation.  Thus,  in  the 
"  Martyr's  Song "  of  George  Lade- 
m^cher  and  Wilhelm  von  Kepsel,  we 
find  the  following: 

"Cologne,    Cologne,    upon    the    Rhine, 
When    wilt    thou   heed   our  praying? 

When     wilt     thou    coase    to    drink     the 
blood 
Of  saints  Which  thou  art  slaying? 

"New    from    thy    wicked    raging    cease, 
Ami    from    thine    evil    turn    thee! 

Or  hell   at   length    will    he   thy   grave, 
Eternal   fire    will   burn    thee." 


(35) 

The  "Ausbund"  contains  man; 
things  which  one  would  hardly  expect 
to  find,  such  as  stories  from  the 
Apocrypha  and  legends  of  the  saints. 
In  an  appendix  there  is  a  series  of 
sketches  of  martyrs,  who  from  their 
names  appear  to  have  been  related  to 
many  of  the  first  settlers  of  Lancastei 
County.  The  book  was  first  pub- 
lished at  Schauffhausen  in  1583,  ana 
has  been  printed  in  Basel  as  recently 
as  1838.  There  have  been  at  least  a 
dozen  American  editions,  and  even 
now  it  is  said  to  be  not  entirely  out 
of  print. 

Another  of  Saur's  mystical  publica- 
tions was  "Das  Kleine  Davidische 
Psalterspiel"  ("The  Little  Psaltery  of 
David"),  1744,  530  pages.  This  book 
was  derived  from  the  "Inspiration- 
ists,"  who  were,  I  suppose,  generally 
absorbed  by  the  new  church  of  the 
"Brethren."  Like  all  the  other  books 
of  its  class,  it  is  in  style  as  sweet  as 
honey,  and  might  almost  be  said  to  be 
"perfumed  with  myrrh  and  frankin- 
cense, with  all  the  powders  of  the 
merchant."  It  is  in  its  way  an  excel- 
lent collection,  containing  real  beau- 
ties. An  edition  was  printed  in 
Ephrata,  in  1795,  by  Solomon  Mayer. 
My  own  copy  was  printed  by  Michael 
Billmyer,  of  Germantown,  in  1813. 
Other  collections  of  the  same  general 
type  we  have  no  room  to  consider. 

The  third  class  of  Ephrata  publica- 
tions includes  those  which  actually 
bear  the  imprint  of  the  brotherhood 
The  order  had  now  settled  down  to 
practical  life,  and  most  of  its  literary 
works  were  in  prose.  The  "turtle- 
doves," however,  still  continue  to 
send  forth  musical  notes.  In  1747  ap- 
peared "Das  Gesang  der  Einsamen 
und  Verlassenen  Turtel-Taube"  ("The 
Song  of  the  Solitary  and  Forsaken 
Turtle-Dove").  Then,  in  1755,  we 
have  a  Neues  Vermehrtes  Gesang  der 


(  36  ) 

einsman  Turtel-Taube"  ("Echo  of  the 
Solitary  Turtle-dove"),  and  in  1762 
there  is  a  NeuesVermehrtes  Gesang  der 
Einsamen  Turtel-taube"  ("Improved 
Edition  of  the  Solitary  Turtle-dove"). 
In  1756  we  have  two  small  quarto  vol- 
umes, "Das  Bruderlied"  ("The  Broth- 
ers' Song")  and  "Ein  angenehmer  Ge- 
ruch  der  Rosen  und  Lilien  im  Thale 
der  Demuth"  ("A  Pleasant  Odor  of 
Roses  and  Lilies  in  the  Valley  of  Hu- 
mility"). The  first  of  these  is  dated 
at  "Bethania,"  the  brothers' house,  and 
the  second  is  said  to  have  been  com- 
posed in  Saron,  the  dwelling  of  the 
sisters. 

At  last,  in  1776,  appeared  the  "Para- 
diesisches  Wunderspiel"  (Wonderful 
Melody  of  Paradise),  which  may  be 
regarded  as  the  crown  and  glory  of 
Ephrata  hymnology.  It  is  a  handsome 
quarto  of  472pp.,which  is  especially  in- 
teresting as  containing  a  brief  auto- 
biography of  Conrad  Beissel.  To  ex- 
amine the  book  more  minutely  would 
no  doubt  be  interesting  to  "those  who 
like  that  sort  of  thing;"  but  we  have 
no  room  to  enter  into  particulars.  The 
copy  which  I  have  the  pleasure  of  ex- 
hibiting to  the  society  was  once  the 
property  of  John  Peter  Miller,  who 
was  the  editcr  of  the  voiiime. 

We  have  traveled  far  s'nce  the  days 
of  the  monks  of  Ephrata,  and  it  is  dif- 
ficult for  the  present  generation  to  ap- 
preciate their  talents  and  their  labors. 
Their  mystical  order  was  long  since 
disbanded;  their  curious  buildings 
will  scon  disappear;  and  even  the 
names  of  most  of  these  devout  pion- 
eers are  now  forgotten.  It  is  only  in 
their  literature  that  they  may  be  said 
to  live;  and  it  is  from  their  publica- 
tions alone  that  we  may  gain  a  consis- 
tent view  of  their  peculiar  genius. 
Even  the  morbid  and  eccentric  forms 
in    which    their    devotion    was    some- 


(37) 

times  manifested  are  not  destitute  of 
interest  to  those  who  beneath  them 
all  can  discern  the  workings  of  a  com- 
mon Christian  life.  The  Order  of  the 
Solitary  was  not  composed  of  great 
poets  or  artists;  but  for  its  faithful- 
ness to  the  feeble  gleams  of  light 
which  it  beheld,  it  deserves  to  be  held 
in  everlasting  remembrance. 


An  Old  Receipt  Book. 


It  is  always  interesting  to  make 
comparisons,  and  when  you  have  a 
hundred  years  as  a  dividing  line  and 
you  know  what  is  on  this  end  of  the 
line,  curiosity,  such  as  the  fisherman 
possesses  under  such  circumstances, 
leads  us  to  wonder  about  the  other 
end. 

The  old  book  in  question  was  the 
property  of  William  Bausman,  Regis- 
ter and  Recorder  for  the  county  of 
Lancaster  from  the  year  1809  to  181 8,1 
and  contains  receipts  to  him  from 
people  of  early  Lancaster.  Some  of 
the  names  of  those  attached  to  these 
receipts  are  old  and  familiar,  others 
are  new,  but  the  names  contained  in 
the  first  entry  of  the  book  are  known 
to  all,  it  stating  that  J.  Yeates  had 
received  for  William  Hamilton,  Ksq.. 
on  June  26,  1786,  "Eleven  Pounds  and 
five  shillings  Currency  for  one  year's 
rent  of  Pasture  M,  due  1st  May  1785, 
ten  shillings  and  six  pence  Sterling 
for  one  Year's  Rent  of  %  parts  of 
Lot  No.  25  and  seven  shillings  Ster- 
ling for  one  Year's  Rent  of  Lot  No. 
42." 

William  Hamilton,2  resident  of  Phila- 
delphia, usually  collected  the  rents 
himself,  judging  from  his  characteris- 
tic signature  which  appears  as  many  as 
nine  times  for  as  many  different  years. 
However,  in  1786  and  1787,  J.  Yeates 
received  the  money  for  him  and  later 
John  Moore,  in  1793,  1800,  1807  and 
1808,  collected  the  rent  due.    J.  Yeates 


'Ellis    and    Evans,    p.    217. 
•Ellis   and    Evans,    p.    3fi8. 

(38) 


(39  ) 

is  undoubtedly  Jasper  Yeates  who 
was  admitted  to  practice  law  in  the 
Courts  of  Lancaster  in  1765,  and  John 
Moore3  was  admitted  in  1789. 

The  cost  of  labor  was  somewhat 
different  from  the  present  day,  if  we 
judge  from  the  following  items:  One 
contains  the  date  March  26, 1798,  when 
Jacob  Miller  acknowledges  the  re- 
ceipt of  "144  Pounds,  being  for  four 
years  Wages  viz.,  from  March  26, 
1794,  to  March  26,  1798."  Some  years 
later  Jacob  Snyder  was  generous 
enough  to  make  "  a  new  wheel- 
barrow" for  one  dollar  and  fifty  cents, 
but  we  have  yet  a  better  bargain, 
more  to  the  liking  of  every  one,  for 
November  5, 1808,  John  Sleter  received 
"  Eleven  shillings  and  three  pence, 
being  in  full  for  two  days'  working  in 
the  harvest  and  one  day  making 
Syder."  Lancaster  liked  its  cider 
then,  even  as  it  does  today,  and  Lan- 
caster liked  its  beer  then,  even  as  it 
does  to-day,  for  in  1787  two  barrels  of 
beer  sold  for  two  pounds  and  sixteen 
shillings. 

Coming  *o  the  commercial  side  of 
the  early  days,  we  have  occasion  to 
note  that  copper  kettles  were  as  neces- 
sary to  the  household  as  chairs  and, 
according  to  the  size,  one  would 
suppose  there  was  a  goodly  quan- 
tity of  things  made  therein.  Benj. 
Schaum  received  five  pounds  May  4, 
1791,  for  a  copper  kettle  holding 
twenty-seven  gallons,  and  again  on 
December  2,  1801,  three  pounds  and 
nine  shillings  for  one  holding  seven- 
teen gallons.  We  don't  know  whether 
Steinman  &  Company  were  selling 
copper  kettles  then  or  not,  or  whether 
our  purchasers  simply  preferred 
Schaum's,  b  t  he  did  buy  at  Stein- 
man's  as  well,  for  several  receipts 
prove  that,    including    the  following: 


3Ellls    and    Evans,    p.    245. 


(  40  ) 

"Received  May  7th,  1791,  of  William 
Bausman  the  sum  of  One  Pound,  One 
Shilling,  being  in  full  for  a  Coffee 
Pot,  Green  Jug  and  Salt  Seller  I  say 
Rec  for  my  Father  Frederick  Stein- 
man. 

"G.  STEINMAN." 

It  may  not  be  inappropriate  to  state, 
since  we  have  just  mentioned  salt- 
cellar, that  "a  barrel  of  shad"  sold  for 
three  pounds,  seven  shillings  and  six 
pence  in  the  year  1801. 

The  educational  side  must  not  be 
neglected,  for  it  will  be  interesting  to 
notice  the  modest  prices  received  by 
several  school  masters  for  their,  per- 
haps, modest  work.  The  name  of 
John  Doll  appears  several  times,  al- 
ways for  the  money  consideration  of 
"ten  shillings,  it  being  for  three 
months  of  schooling  of  Jacob  Remmy." 
Under  dates  of  May  1, 1801,  March  19, 
1803,  and  May  9,  1804,  Matthew  Stev- 
enson received  the  sum  of  seventeen 
pounds,  four  shillings  and  eleven 
pence,  for  teaching  two  children,  and 
also  April  8,  1808,  but  the  length  of 
time  is  omitted.  J.  Virauth,  under 
date  of  July  11,  1810,  received  "Six 
Dollars,  in  full  for  one  years  English 
Tuition  of  Samuel  Dewees."  Of  the 
three  school  masters  just  mentioned, 
the  name  of  one  only  appears  in 
Ellis  &  Evans'  history.  On  page  405 
Matthias  Stevenson  is  credited  with 
opening  a  school  in  1805  and  it  is  sup- 
posed that  he  continued  to  teach  until 
his  death,  in  1808.  Matthew  and  Mat- 
thias are  no  doubt  one  and  the  same 
person,  as  the  dates  coincide.  Inci- 
dentally with  lessons,  we'll  quote  an 
item  somewhat  foreign  to  the  above 
but  none  the  less  important,  for  we 
dare  not  eliminate  the  name  of  one  of 
our    jewelers,   Peter    Getz.'      With    a 


'Ellis  and    Evans,   p    •::! 


(41) 

plain  signature  he  testifies  to  the  fact 
of  having  received  five  pounds  for  les- 
sons given  by  his  wife  to  the  daugh- 
ter of  an  early  resident  of  that  per- 
iod "in  Mantua  making,"  but  he  does 
not  state  if  he  kept  the  money  him- 
self or  gave  it  to  the  said  wife. 

Peter  Getz  here  mentioned  is  the 
same  Peter  Getz  who  designed  the 
pattern  of  the  penny  and  the  half 
dollar  piece  for  the  government  in 
1792  and  which  was  accepted  and 
money  coined  from  the  dies  of  the 
same. 

Anthony  Hook,  grandson  of  Michael, 
the  original  settler,  who  had  his 
wagon  shop  at  the  corner  of  Orange 
and  Duke  streets,5  received  November 
17,  1806,  one  pound,  six  shillings  and 
one  pence  for  wheelwright  work. 

The  signatures  of  the  following  men 
are  easily  recognized:  Michael  Gun- 
daker,  Christopher  Mayer,  John  Wein, 
Benjamin  Schaum,  before  mentioned, 
Peter  Protzman,  Christian  Petrie,  all 
members  of  the  Sun  Fire  Company," 
and  William  Ferree,  John  F.  Steinman, 
William  Sterrett,  Jonas  Metzgar, 
Daniel  Witmer  and  William  Hensel. 

In  June,  1790,  seventy  locust  posts 
were  sold  for  four  pounds,  seventeen 
shillings  and  three  pence  and  in  1808, 
March  8,  twenty-five  locust  posts  sold 
for  three  pounds,  two  shillings  and  six 
pence.  Even  in  those  days  the  price 
of  lumber  was  advancing. 

In  1791  a  ton  of  hay  sold  for  four 
pounds,  and,  we  may  add,  as  cattle  be- 
long to  the  farm,that  two  young  steers, 
in  1801,  sold  for  seven  pounds,  two 
shillings  and  six  pence.  An  honest 
horse  deal  seems  to  have  occurred  at 
that  early  date,  for  John  Fink  signs 
his  name  to  the  following:  "Received 
March  26,  1814,  of  William  Bausman, 


5E31is   and'  Evans,   p.    364. 
"Ellis   and   Evans,   p.   384. 


(42} 

the  sum  of  Thirty-One  dollars  and  a 
half  in  full  for  a  sorral  mare  sold  him 
which  said  Mare  is  no  older  than  Nine 
Years  and  Sound  without  Ailment 
Except  one  Eye  looks  a  little  dim  than 
the  other." 

Municipal  affairs  must  have  their 
turn  and  we  will  start  with  the  best 
looking  and  best-sounding  item — best- 
looking  because  it  stands  in  a  large, 
clear,  well-written  hand  and  best- 
sounding  because  we  all  are  proud  of 
the  fact  that  lies  back  of  the  state- 
ment. 

"1812, Apr.  24th,  Received  of  William 
Bausman  Esqr  eight  dollars  in  full  for 
a  case  of  pigeon  holes  purchased  for 
the  use  of  his  office  of  the  Secry  of  the 
Commonwealth 

"JAMBS   TRIM  I! 

This  was  only  a  short  while  before 
the  seat  of  government  of  the  State 
was  transferred  to  Harrisburg,  that 
occurring  October  12,  1812.7 

John  Tryer  was  clerk  in  the  office 
of  the  Recorder  and  Register,  receiv- 
ing a  salary  of  three  hundred  and 
twenty-five  dollars  a  year  dating  from 
February  8,  1809.  However,  George 
Hollis  replaced  him  after  a  year  and 
a  half  and  continued  in  that  office 
until  April,  1812,  when  John  Tryer  re- 
turned and  remained  there  until  1818, 
but  his  salary  was  lessened  to  three 
hundred  and  sixteen  dollars  a  year. 
Both  these  men  were  exceptionally 
good  writers. 

Jesse  Kendall  received  four  dollars 
and  fifty  cents  November  24, 1813,  for 
printing  one  thousand  blank  notices. 
He  did  printing  for  the  Recorder's 
and  Register's  office  at  various  times 
during  the  years  1814  and  1815  as  the 
following  will  show : 


'Sherman     Day's     Historical    Collec- 
tions,   ii.    286, 


(  43  ) 

"Received  February  18th,  1814,  of 
William  Bailsman  the  sum  of  Five  dol- 
lars for  finding  paper  and  printing  one 
thousand  administration  (&  Execu- 
tor's) advertisements. 

"JESSE  KENDALL." 

"Received  April  20th,  1815,  of  Wil- 
liam Bausman,  the  sum  of  Five  dollars 
and  a  quarter  being  for  printing  '< 
quires  of  Administration  Bonds 

"JESSE  KENDALL." 

"Received  September  11th,  1815,  of 
William  Bausman  the  sum  of  Eight 
dollars  &  75  cents  being  for  printing 
5  quires  of  Blank  Letters  Testamen- 
tary @  75  cents  pr  quire  and  four 
quires  of  Deeds  @  $1.25  Cents  pr  quire. 
"JESSE  KENDALL. 

"Wm  Bausman. found  the  paper  for 
the  Deeds,  but  not  the  Letters  Testa- 
mentary." 

In  Mr.  F.  R.  Diffenderffer's  paper 
relative  to  early  printers,  published 
January  1,  1904,  I  could  find  no  ref- 
erence to  the  above  name  and  yet 
from  the  various  receipts  it  is  evident 
he  was    printing  at  the  time  mentioned. 

Another  interesting  receipt  is  the 
following: 

"Received  August  27,  1807,  of  Wm 
Bausman  six  pounds  and  eleven  shill- 
ings being  money  received  from  Mr 
John  Lightner  for  Mr  John  Kerr,  late 
Gailor,  for  Lancaster  County  Rec.  in 
full 

"Michl  Pigeon  per  order." 

John  Kerr,s  late  gailor,  was  probably 
the  man  who  was  manufacturing  nails 
on  Orange  street  in  1796. 

Standing  alone,  significant  of  its 
contents,   on   a    page    turned   slightly 


sEllis   and   Evans,   p.    371. 


(44) 

brown  in  these  one  hundred  and  seven 
years  was  a  pathetic  item  which  read: 

"1802,  February  3rd,  Gave  an  order 
to  Mary  Polock  for  her  and  her  two 
children  to  the  poor  house." 

As  the  poor  house8  was  built  some 
time  during  1800  the  report  of  its  in- 
habitants, dating  from  November  15, 
1800,  the  above  mentioned  persons 
were  admitted  within  two  years  after 
Lancaster  county  began  caring  for  its 
own  poor  people. 

■Ellis    ;ind    Evans,    p.    212. 


Minutes  of  February  Meeting. 


Lancaster,  Pa.,  Feb.  5,  1909. 

The  Lancaster  County  Historical 
Society  held  its  monthly  meeting  this 
(Friday)  evening  in  the  Society's  quar- 
ters in  the  Smith  free  public  library 
building.  The  attendance  of  members 
was  the  largest  for  a  number  of 
months  and  the  meeting  proved  most 
interesting.  President  Steinman  pre- 
sided and  all  the  officers  were  present. 

Mrs.  Maud  D.  Hager,  of  Marietta; 
William  E.  Miller,  of  this  city,  and 
B.  Ezra  Herr,  of  West  Lampeter,  were 
elected  to  membership. 

Librarian  Sener  announced  the  fol- 
lowing donations  to  the  society  during 
the  month: 

Jamestown  Exposition  Commission 
Report;  American  Historical  Associa- 
tion Report,  1906,  parts  1-2;  Report  of 
the  Library  of  Congress  for  1908; 
volumes  8,  9,  11,  15.  parts  1  and  2,  of 
Sixth  Series  of  Pennsylvania  Arch- 
ives; "The  Vicksburg  Campaign"  and 
"Capture  and  Escape,"  from  the  Wis- 
consin State  History  Commission; 
The  Farmer's  Cabinet,  printed  in  Wil- 
mington in  1838,  from  Uhler  H.  Dun- 
lap;  Kittochtinny  Historical  Society 
Papers  for  1908;  Medicine  among  the 
Indian  Tribes,  from  the  Smithsonian 
Institution;  Part  III.  of  the  Cambridge 
Historical  Society  Papers;  Catholic 
Records,  Catholic  Researches,  German 
American  Annals,  Lebanon  County 
Historical  Society;  Pennsylvania  Mag- 
azine of  History  and  Biography  and 
other  exchanges  for  October,  1908, 
and  January,  1909;  a  number  of  cata- 
logues of  book  sales,  Biographical  His- 
(  45) 


(46) 

tory  of  Dauphin  County,  by  Rev.  Geo. 
Israel  Brown. 

Under  the  head  of  new  business 
Mr.  H.  Frank  Eshleman  referred  to 
the  coming  Lincoln  centenary  and 
suggested  that  some  recognition  of 
the  notable  event  be  given  by  the 
society.  It  was  proposed  by  the 
speaker  that  matter  on  the  life  of  Lin- 
coln and  his  visit  to  Lancaster  be 
compiled  and  read  before  the  society 
at  its  next  meeting.  The  suggestion 
was  favorably  received  and  the  prepa- 
ration of  the  papers  was  placed  in  the 
hands  of  Mr.  Eshleman. 

Two  papers  prepared  by  members 
of  the  society  were  then  read.  Dr. 
Joseph  H.  Dubbs  had  as  the  subject  of 
a  most  entertaining  article  "Ephrata 
Hymns  and  Hymn  Books,"  based  on 
the  poetic  compositions  of  the  Eph- 
rata Brotherhood.  The  essayist  show- 
ed that  the  Brethren  possessed  re- 
markable rhythmical  and  musical 
talent  and  that  they  were  able  to 
compose  poetry  as  easily  as  other 
people  write  prose.  As  an  example  of 
their  fondness  for  personifying  divine 
attributes,  Dr.  Dubbs  quoted  from  one 
hymn,  addressed  to  Sophia,  a  per- 
sonification of  the  Wisdom  of  the 
Book  of  Proverbs,  as  follows: 

"Fairest   Sophie,   may   the   longings 
That   within   my   bosom   rise 

May    a    heart    that    loves    thee    dearly 
Win   me   favor   in   thine   eyes." 

Many  of  the  Ephrata  hymns  were 
circulated  in  manuscript,  but  later 
they  sought  a  publisher,  and  both 
Benj.  Franklin  and  Christopher  Saur, 
the  Philadelphia  printers,  at  times  is- 
sued their  publications.  Later,  how- 
ever, the  Brethren  equipped  their  own 
printing  plant.  In  1766  appeared  the 
crowning  efforts  of  these  Ephrata 
hymnologists,  "The  Wonderful  Melody 
of  Paradise,"  a  copy  of  which  Dr. 
Dubbs  exhibited  to  the  meeting.  Along 


(47) 

with  it  he  displayed  probably  the  only 
existing  book  plate  of  Peter  Miller, 
one  of  the  leaders  of  the  Ephrata 
Brethren.  Following  the  reading  of 
the  paper,  which  brought  forth  some 
interesting  discussion,  Mr.  Charles  T. 
Steigerwalt  exhibited  one  of  the  manu- 
script books  of  Ephrata  hymns,  its 
date  being  1744. 

The  other  paper  was  prepared  by 
Miss  Lottie  M.  Bausman  and  read  by 
Mr.  Sener.  It  was  entitled,  "Some 
Pacts  From  an  Old  Receipt  Book,"  and 
it  was  based  on  the  book  kept  by  Wil- 
liam Bausman,  who  was  Register  and 
Recorder  of  Lancaster  county  from 
1809  to  1818.  It  contained  receipts 
given  to  him  by  people  of  Lancaster. 
Some  very  interesting  points  by  early 
Lancastrians  were  brought  out. 

The  papers  were  ordered  to  be  print- 
ed in  the  Society's  proceedings. 


: 


